


Germany x Reader - Traps

by animefreak141



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Children, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lemon, Longing, Lost - Freeform, Love, Pain, Romance, Sad, Sex, Sexual Content, War, life - Freeform, reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 02:03:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2331155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animefreak141/pseuds/animefreak141
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were captured during the fighting, and taken to the enemies encampment where you meet a strangely affectionate and caring blonde haired German... </p><p>Will his kindness help you to escape, or will your attachment to each other be detrimental to the survival of both of you?</p><p>(It's been a while since I wrote this. Sorry if the summary sucks)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Captured

The guns went off in the distance, the ground shook from grenades and the thumping sound of battalions marching ran deeply through the ground. Mist covered most of the battlefield and obscured your sight.  ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…’  Three months ago your older brother was forced to enlist in the army, he became sick shortly after and could barely lift a finger, let alone fulfil his, unwanted, commitment.  So you foolishly took his place, without his or your parents’ permission of course.  Getting away from your parents was the easy part, sneaking out when the physical examination came around, and the constant presence of piggish men was beginning to exhaust you.  Though, even having gone through all of that, you knew it was for a good cause, your brother’s health, right?  But now you were beginning to regret the decision to leave home, the threat of capture, or even worse, death, loomed over your head like a persistent rain cloud. 

Cautiously you walked forward, gun facing forward, and eyes as sharp as needles.  You looked side to side, troops from your squad were moving forward at the same pace as you.  From a distance you probably looked like any other soldier, the small pack of supplies helped to broaden your shoulders and make your entire frame seem bulkier, and you made sure to cut your (h/c) hair enough so there was no need to hide it.  Though up close, your more feminine features were visible, big (e/c) eyes, slender arching eyebrows, and a softer face than anyone around you.  These were all reasons you chose to stay away from the other soldiers, even if it meant they would never fully trust you; it was all a part of the risk you were taking. More gun fire rattled the cold morning air, and caused you to jump slightly, but then it all went silent. 

Suddenly troops appeared out of the thick mist, they weren’t wearing the same uniform as you. They were- ‘Oh god,’ you thought,  
“It’s an ambush!” you screamed before diving behind a bundle of sand filled bags, the rattling sound of gun fire once again filled the air.  Several of your comrades had done the same as you, though many weren’t so lucky.  Blood splattered over the dusty ground, and bodies fell limp, one after another until there was barely anyone left standing. 

A man yelled something in a language you didn’t understand, his deep, commanding voice echoed throughout the once again silent field.  Soldiers quickly ran past the dead and further on as you collected your thoughts and shifted around to aim the loaded rifle in your arms at the enemy troops.  A clicking sound registered at your ears, you turned slightly,  
“I vouldn’t do that if I vere you,” It was the same voice that had just ordered the troops to advance.  You turned more to look at the man who was about to kill you.  His hair was the brightest shade of blonde you had ever seen, which was tightly pulled away from his face, and his eyes were a vivid cerulean blue that contrasted the bloody scenes around the two of you almost perfectly.  
“I-,” you automatically lowered your rifle, and breathed in sharply and expected him to pull the trigger.  Only he didn’t.  
“Bruder! Vhat do you think you’re doing, ve have to move on” another man called. “Ludvig! Answer me damn it!” the voice grumbled, “I svear, if you got yourself shot,” he appeared out of the dust as the first soldier, Ludwig, had.  You quickly scanned your memory, bruder. You knew what it meant, what was it…?  
“Brother?” you said to yourself, almost completely forgetting the other two men were there.  You looked back up; the two were looking at you as if you had lost your mind, something that could have been completely possible.  But how could they be brothers, it may be true that they had the same build, though, many German soldiers did, other than that they were completely different. Ludwig was well maintained and blonde, his ‘brother’ had scruffy silver hair, and murder filled blood red eyes that sent a cold chill down your spine.  
“Mien god Ludvig, either that’s the most pitiful excuse for a soldier, ever, or it’s a voman,” he mocked.  Your eyes widened. ‘Shit – how could he’.  Your breathing quickened and you could feel your hands trembling ever so slightly.  A grin tugged at the edges of the albino’s mouth, “Little lost Fraulein,” he chuckled, “To think a voman on the battlefield,” he roughly seized the collar of your jacket, “Don’t vorry, I don’t think the blödes* from your side vould know the difference,”  
“You guessed as vell bruder, don’t get cocky just because of dumb luck,” Ludwig stated harshly while putting the gun back in its holster.  
“Vhat are you doing? She may be a voman, but she’s still the enemy,” he argued.  Ludwig cursed under his breath,  
“Bring her vith us then, the enemy are all dead anyvay so ve have to head back to camp,” The albino literally growled at this,  
“And vhat if this is a trick and she kills us all vhen ve get back to base?!” his voice rose bitterly,  
“Look at her,” the blonde replied while gesturing to you, “she’s shaking and can barely move she’s so scared, do you really think she’ll be able to put up any real fight?” the other soldier looked you over, studying you carefully for what seemed like hours.  
“Try anything,” he threatened and shook you abruptly, “and I vill kill you myself, got it?” you were in shock, but found the strength to nod your head. He muttered something in German and tossed you back to the ground, a sharp pain shot up your arm and hip.  You cringed slightly, but fought through the pain as Ludwig yanked you back into a standing position.  He then placed a well-used rope around your wrists and bound them together tightly, ‘I’m definitely going to get rope burn,’ you thought, trying to make light of the situation, as you attempted to find a comfortable position to hold your hands in.  Unfortunately, the blonde German grabbed them before you had a chance to, and dragged you along as he walked.

***

Their base was large, far larger, and better stocked than the one you had trained at.  It was in a clearing surrounded by large trees that covered the smoke from fires, and smothered the sounds of the soldiers training. Several rows of large tents were set up around the outside of a large, strongly reinforced above ground bunker.  Just looking at the hundreds of men at this one camp site, you knew that your comrades stood no real chance.  A knot formed in your chest.  Though you hadn’t been close to, well, anyone, being saved for the simple fact of being a woman sickened you.  Even if death frightened you to your very core, dying out there would have been an honourable way to die, not tied up and helpless. ‘Like a lamb to the slaughter’ the words ran through your head, over and over again.  
“Gilbert, tell the general that ve have returned, and that ve have a prisoner,” Ludwig stopped which caused you to run into his back.  You stumbled back, but he stayed almost completely still.  
“Ja,” the albino nodded and walked off towards the large bunker.  The blonde led you away in the opposite direction,  
“It vould be easier for all of us if you just tell us vhat you know,” he said, eyes focused forward.  You didn’t know how to reply.  Why was he being so… so… nice? You had heard more than one story about the brutality of their troops.  Was that it, were they all just be stories made-up to scare new recruits? You looked around the base.  Even towards each other they were cold and somewhat violent. They definitely weren’t just stories… then why?  A sharp left turn made you stagger, but you managed to stay on your feet.  He leading you straight passed the troops tents, some gawked and stared, others though, couldn’t have cared less, the knot in your chest tightened once more and anger took over your mind,  
“Why didn’t you just kill me?!” your voice was hoarse, and cracked towards the end. More people stared, and hushed whispers filled the air.  Ludwig slowed his pace for a moment, but ignored your question and continued forward.  More anger bubbled under your skin and you began to pull and tug at the bonds around your wrists. “Tell me, tell me why!” more silence followed as the blonde led you into one of the tents 

The tent was larger than most of the others you had passed. Tables covered in maps and notes and shelves filled with thick books were sorted meticulously occupied most of the space and hiding behind one of the shelves was a single cot and duffle bags.  Ludwig threw you down, surprisingly gently, onto the ground and cuffed you to the large table in the centre of the room.  
“Answer me already!” you shouted again, no longer bothering to mask the feminine pitch of your voice.  Once again he ignored you.  Your jaw clenched, and muscles tightened.  You shook again at the binds around your wrists, trying to break free, but with no avail.  
“Stop thrashing, othervise the general may be less entitled to keep you alive.” Ludwig said while bending down to check the cuffs.  Your (e/c) eyes met directly with his blue ones,  
“Then tell me why you kept me alive in the first place,” you tried to keep your voice was calm, but it wavered ever so slightly.  The German sighed softly and rubbed his temple,  
“You just remind me of someone… that’s all,” his eyes softened as he spoke, but quickly returned to being cold and distant.  You eased back after that, realising there was no way out of this predicament.

***

The adrenaline rush slowed, and you could feel the pain that sitting in an unnatural position caused.  A daze like state shrouded your mind, and there was numbness in the arm and hip you had been thrown on earlier.  ‘Did I land on something?’ you looked down.  Even if the sun was blazing outside, the shade provided by the tent made it nearly impossible to see.  You shifted around and again looked down to your hip.  The usual olive green uniform was stained a deep brown, which could have almost been mistaken for black.  
“H-hey,” you called, head spinning. “Hey!”  Ludwig looked up from the tactics book he had buried himself in shortly after you had arrived. “I’m injured, I must have fallen on something…” your words were beginning to slur.  The German stood and made his way over to you.  He carefully examined your hip and arm,  
“You probably fell on barbed vire,” he stood straight and walked to the entrance of the tent and called to someone. “The general vill be here soon, and then the medic vill clean the vounds,” he stated.  Time passed slowly after that, to you it felt like hours, but in reality it was only minutes before your eyes slowly began to close, until you were asleep.

You were partially awoken from your slumber by a number of stern voices.  Your eyes cracked open, one large, professional looking soldier stood, conversing with Ludwig.  His brother, Gilbert, had also returned and was poking around the well-ordered tent.  Your eyes were still fuzzy, and head spinning,  
“Lieutenant Beilschmidt, your brother has informed me you have captured one of the enemy’s soldiers,” his eyes were almost immediately drawn to you.  “A voman… So you veren’t joking after all,” he spoke, mostly to himself. “Vhat possible use could a voman be to us?” he stated bluntly.  Ludwig thought for a moment,  
“Male soldiers vould be more likely to put up a fight.  I’m sure she’ll tell you vhat you vant to know, vith a little coaxing.” The tone in Ludwig’s voice was cold.  
“Very vell then, you have 4 days to get everything out of her,” the general said.  
“Vhat happens after that, Sir?” Gilbert interjected. The Generals green eyes looked over your body again,  
“Ve vill see… it all depends on vhat she tells us,” he said simply before turning and exiting the tent.  Ludwig turned to his brother and began to speak, but once again your eyes began to close and the darkness took hold.

***

A tingling sensation ran through your body, and your stomach ached.  You were lying down, your hands still bound, but not nearly as tightly as before.  You attempted to sit up, but a pain shot through you, and caused you to flop back onto the soft bed.  
“Don’t move Fraulein, the doctor fixed your arm and hip, but had to give you some pretty strong drugs to stop any infections,” your eyes looked around for the source of the voice.  The albino, Gilbert, wad reclining in a chair next to your bed.  
“Where am I?” you asked,  
“Ludvig’s tent still, he’ll be back soon, but asked me to vatch you vhile he vas out…” he sighed, “Honestly, I’m far too awesome to be some girls babysitter…” he muttered under his breath.  
“Why didn’t he kill me?” you said, “he told me it was because I reminded him of someone… but,”  
“Don’t vorry about it,” he cut you off, “I highly doubt you’ll be alive this time next veek, so there’s no point in telling you,” his tone was filled with boredom, but the way he could so easily promise death terrified you.  Eventually Ludwig returned, and you were moved back onto the ground.  
“Tomorrow the interrogation begins, be sure to ready yourself, Fraulein.” Gilbert whispered into your ear before leaving.

***

Ludwig’s POV

She had the same look in her eyes as he did.  
“Damn that Italian bastard…” Ludwig grumbled and took another large gulp of his beer.  He had taken an Italian soldier under his wing, but even after all the time spent training and readying himself, he was scared – too scared to move, too scared to fight.  Ludwig cursed softly while watching the female soldier sleep.  Her face was calm and relaxed, and showed no sign of pain or discomfort. ‘It von’t be like that tomorrow…’ he thought, imaging the torturous things the general would allow them to do.  
“You’ve got to stop blaming yourself for it,” Gilbert called from the entrance. “Besides it’s not like you can save this one,” Ludwig sighed, and looked to Gilbert, his silver hair shone in the bright moonlight.  
“Vhy are you back here Bruder?” The albino smiled widely,  
“She’s the only decent voman vith in 100 miles.  You really think that you’re the only one interested?” a chuckle erupted from Gilbert’s throat.  
“I don’t know vhat you mean. Now, please leave. I need rest, and so do you,” Ludwig stood and pushed the chair under the table. Gilbert sighed,  
“You’re such a vet blanket sometimes…” he said, before skulking away.   Ludwig looked over his shoulder one last time,  
“You can’t save this one…” he whispered to himself, over and over again, until it finally registered, though, he still didn’t want to believe it.

***

 


	2. Treason...?

The next few days were like a living hell.  The never-ending rivers of questions were hard enough to keep up with, let alone having to deal with the constant pains up your arm and side.  Sometimes they would keep you awake for hours, not let you eat, leave you out in the cold with no shelter or even use physical violence to try to get you to talk.  Ludwig, for whatever reason, would stop them before it became out of hand.  You were sure it was just so he could guarantee answers, without an accidental death.  By the fourth day you still hadn’t spoken a word.  But your strength, both mental and physical, had begun to falter, and you were sure you were going to say something eventually.  You sat there, tied to an old, wobbly wooden chair that jabbed you in all the wrong places, just waiting for the next soldier to show up and end it all.

You weren’t kept waiting long, a soldier stepped into the damp, rotting cell.  After the first night, the General had seen fit to move you into one of the cells deep inside of the bunker.  There was only one window near the ceiling, which was heavily barred and no bigger than an A4 piece of paper.  Because of it, the room become boggy and caused a stillness making the air thick and sometimes hard to breathe.  Your eyes glanced up and recognised the piercing blue eyes almost immediately.  Ludwig.

***

Ludwig’s POV

‘”Damn it,” he cursed softly under his breath.  The blonde could barely sleep last night because of what Gilbert had told him, and now even the rising rays of sunlight had lost their warmth.  Sleep filled his eyes as he walked into the large metal bunker.  “Vhy, vhy can’t it let it go…”

~10 hours earlier~

Ludwig had just finished another patrol of the area, and had successfully cleared it all as being safe.  After only being back for about 15 minutes his brother had found him, a cocky grin plastered on his face.  The blonde let out an irritated groan as Gilbert sauntered into the tent,   
“Vhat do you vant, Bruder?” his voice was strained slightly, a thing only his close family had ever really seen. Gilbert chuckled and sat atop his younger brothers table, which seemed to have an ever growing pile of paper work spread across it.   
“Nothing,” he said, the wide grin never moving, “I just thought you may vant to know, that the little Fraulein von’t live to see tomorrows sunset, that’s all.”  Ludwig’s hazy blue eyes became clear quickly, he stood up, simultaneously knocking over the chair he was sitting on, and slammed his hands on the desk.  
“Vhat!?” again, his voice was edgy, but this time not from tiredness.  Gilbert’s blood red eyes met his brothers, though Ludwig was lost in thought and not really focused on what was happening,   
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever understand your fascination vith her,” the albino griped. “At least vith the Italian you got something back from protecting him.  Her-,”   
“Who’s doing it?” Ludwig interrupted, catching his brother off guard.   
“Eh?” The blonde looked as though he was about to smack Gilbert senseless,   
“Who is doing the execution!” his voice boomed through the chilly night air.  Gilbert eyed his brother curiously for a moment,   
“Kesese,” he snickered, “Who else, the awesome me,” he replied simply as his grin finally dropped.  The blonde nodded, what Gilbert thought to be, a quick thank you, before heading off in search of the General.

~Just before sunrise~

Ludwig’s clenched fist tightened.  The General had given permission for him to use ‘any means necessary’ to get information out of her, but if he failed, she would be killed.  Nausea ran through the usually calm soldier.  As much as he hated to admit it, maybe Gilbert was right.  Maybe he should just forget about the woman.  Maybe he should just allow his brother to follow the orders that were given without any intrusions.  The nausea ripped through his core once more just at the thought of her limp, bloody corpse being thrown into a shallow pit.  He held his head in his hand, attempting to recover what composure he could.   
“No, no I can’t…”  Her large, sparkling (e/c) eyes were plastered in his mind.  He couldn’t rid himself of the sight of her.  Why?! Why couldn’t he be rid of the attachment!? His rage began to bubble under the surface of his skin, but he quickly forced it to dissipate.  Ludwig looked out to the descending moon, and took a deep breathe in to calm himself further, knowing full well what he had to do.

***

Your POV

“The General has had enough games, and has ordered me to finish this in any way I deem fit,” Usually you would have been terrified, but the threat of death had long since lost any meaning.  The click of his boots suddenly echoed in the silent room, and something shone brightly at his waist.  He stood directly in front of you, his musky, yet tangy scent was a pleasant relief from the usually heavy air.  Gently he placed his hand under your chin, and lifted your head; your neck ached from stiffness and seemed to creak with the small movement.  You stayed quiet.  A soft, tired sigh escaped his lips, and he began to wipe away the dried blood from your cheeks and lip with a soft handkerchief.

Your half lid (e/c) eyes lifted to meet his.   
“I thought you were going to kill me…” your voice croaked, and caused a raw soreness to form in your throat.  He moved his hand away from you, and held your gaze.   
“You misunderstand…” his voice was deep, but kindness reached through. “I never said I vas going to kill you, simply finish this tedious game,” Your brow furrowed.   
“What do you-,” Ludwig stood straight once more and walked around to your back.  From there you were able to see the source of the brightness, a pistol.  Nothing like the ones your commanding officers had, this one was far smaller, and seemed more like a personal item due to the small, intricate designs on its grip and rear sight. ‘He _is_ going to kill me.’  You thought.  The sound of the gun being pulled from its holster cut through the silence of the room and made your heart race uncontrollably.  While it was true the threat of death had lost much of its potency, staring it directly in the face was another matter entirely.

Suddenly your bound arms were released, as were your ankles and torso.  The German soldier moved once again to the front of the cell, it was then you saw the gleaming blade of a knife in his hand.  You shifted your aching arms, and curled your hands into fists just to be sure you hadn’t lost all feeling.  But why?! Your brow furrowed again, this damn soldier was beyond confusing, and infuriating.   
“What are you doing?” You called and tried to stand, but after days of physical abuse and doing nothing but sitting down, your legs were weak and fell almost instantly from under you.

Quickly your hands went down, ready to brace yourself as the cold, hard concrete floor closed in.  But there was no need.  Something strong and warm wrapped around your waist and held you in place.  Your eyes widened as you felt the chest of the German soldier against your forehead.  You lifted your head slowly, and felt your cheeks heat up.  Ludwig, though he had an obviously rough exterior, portrayed nothing but concern and warmth towards you in that moment.  Your mouth opened a little, as if you were readying yourself to say something.  But you were at a loss for words.  He propped you up with one arm and steadied you with the other.  He was saying something.  You could see his mouth moving, though the words didn’t reach you.  All you could do was watch as the German became more and more worried from your lack of response.  This soldier was definitely different from the others in the camp.

***

Being escorted, without having rope or cuffs binding your wrists, was nice.  The looks the other soldiers gave you were a little more than worrying, though most of the time they saw Ludwig near and continued with what they were doing.  Your eyes grazed over the man beside you.  Why was it you couldn’t draw your gaze away? You supressed a sigh and kept your eyes on your feet, not knowing why you had a sudden desire to stay close to this man, a man who was the sole reason you were in this situation to begin with.  As the morning dragged on, you really began to wonder what Ludwig’s motives were.  Being able to have a shower, and scrub the numerous days’ worth of sweat, dirt, and blood was absolutely fabulous, though it didn’t help to quell the nagging in the back of your mind.

Eventually you both ended up back at his tent.  You were given a seat, a rather comfortable looking padded chair, but opted for standing, after four days of sitting down, you’d had more than your fill.  The German man hadn’t spoken much at all, and even after entering his tent, it didn’t change.  He was clearly hard to read a lot of the time and distant with many people, but something in Ludwig’s eyes, and face gave away his uneasiness. 

A sudden spike of courageousness surged through you, allowing your voice, for the first time in days, to work without any pain or exertion.   
“Why did you help me…? Why did you let me out… and for the second time, not kill me?”  Ludwig’s sapphire blue eyes focused and met yours.  He didn’t respond straight away, conflicted by his own thoughts.   
“I don’t know how to explain it…” he started, “But…” he sighed and muttered something in German.   He then stood, and made his way over to you.  The many hours of having German soldiers around had taught you to be cautious whenever you didn’t understand what they had said.  The blonde reached out, but you instinctively flinched back.  His eyes didn’t drop, but softened. “Just tell me vhat you know…” he paused and cautiously brushed the back of his gloved fingers over your cool cheek, “Please.”  Yet again the German had left you speechless.

“I…” You were frozen for a moment, but then your hand rose, and fingers entwined with his.   
“Frau-,”  
“_-______,”you piped in.  “_______ ________,” Ludwig’s bright blue eyes never moved from your (e/c) ones, and he lifted his other hand to your waist before pulling you into a tight embrace,   
“________,” you heard him whisper.

***

“400 you say?” the Generals stern eyes met yours.  You nodded slightly.   
“Y-yes that’s just an estimate though… a-and…” you stopped and bit your lower lip.  Did you really want to do this?  Treason was a severe offence that was met with harsh consequences.  And what if your company won, and both you and Ludwig were imprisoned.  How would your family react; unbeknownst to them leave a soldier and return a war criminal? You gritted your teeth.   
“Go on,” the General said. You lowered your eyes,  
“They’re nowhere near as well supplied as you, and there are many injured troops that come from other squads for medical attention… also, because they’re close to citizens who refuse to leave, they’re ordered to be a little more wary about shooting unknown targets.” you breathed in sharply, needing more air than usual.  The General thought it over for a moment,   
“Thank you, Ms ________, I hope you enjoy your stay here,” the light pleasantries coming from the General’s mouth made you feel ill.  You nodded again, before Ludwig led you out of the large office.

Having the blonde soldier walk right beside you eased your nerves slightly, and helped to almost distract you from the paranoid babbling in your mind.   
“You did vell,” his voice was so low you nearly missed it.  Your (e/c) rose to meet his,   
“Then why do I feel so sick?” you asked, guilt and distress was evident in your voice. “I may as well have just killed them myself…” you really felt as though you were going to throw up, your hands and arms trembled ever so slightly, and your head spun.  Tears slowly began to fill your eyes, luckily the darkness of night, along with the (h/c) bangs on the side of your face, hid them from Ludwig, but you quickly blinked them away nevertheless.  The soldier abruptly grabbed your arm and pulled you away from the prying eyes of the others.

Behind one of the tents, it was quiet; almost peaceful.  Your attention was drawn to the darkness of the looming forest, and the sounds that resonated within it.   
“___________,” he called.  You turned to face the German soldier.  He smoothly ran his hand through your short hair, and leaned down to your level.  “Don’t think that way…” before you had time to protest, he pulled you close and deeply pressed his lips to yours. You went to pull away, but the warmth and comfort radiating from Ludwig subconsciously pulled you closer.  And eventually you were kissing him back.


	3. Little Chica

It had been just over a month since you had ‘willingly’ decided to help the people you once considered your enemy.  The minutes, hours and days all burred together when you were with Ludwig which, in turn, made it feel more like days.  You couldn’t quite comprehend why though, you barely spoke to each other, but just his presence alone seemed to put you at ease. Was it that you were forming an irrational attachment to the man? You had heard of these cases before, but never thought that it could actually happen to you.  You sighed and buried the thoughts deep away in your mind, not wanting to remember the kiss you shared, or the intense feelings that it brought.  A soft groan escaped your lips and you lowered your head.  It was times like this, when he was called away on a mission or meeting that your true feelings on the entire matter start to consume your thoughts, sometimes to the point of insanity. 

The wind blasted relentlessly through the darkening camp.  Quite often you saw officers running madly to try to catch stray papers that had somehow managed to escape their clutches.  The looks of disarray and irritation that covered their faces were absolutely priceless. 

You sighed softly to yourself,   
“Anything to keep myself busy I suppose…” you whispered as you tightened the hold on your knees, causing a rather unpleasant pressure to build in your chest.  At least it kept you in tune with reality.  You shuffled backwards on the soft padded chair, and attempted to regain your balance by resting your heels on the edge of the seat.  Gently you placed your temple on your knees and listened to the relaxing sounds of nature.   
“Hey, Fraulein, vhat in the hell are you doing?” the familiar voice called, ‘Like nails on a chalk board… only more “awesome”…’ you thought to yourself, sarcasm filled the unspoken words. You turned your gaze to the albino man who stood before you.   
“Ludwig isn’t here Gilbert.  You’ll have to come back later to spread your ‘awesomeness’,” you emphasized the last part by imitating, more mocking, his accent.  The albino’s eyebrow rose.   
“Honestly Fraulein, vhat’s up vith you?” he walked closer and leaned lazily against the table in the middle of Ludwig’s tent.  The glare you gave him could have killed, as much as you wished it actually had.  The taunting, crimson eyes of Gilbert were still locked firmly on to you.  
“Really… you don’t know!?” you spat, anger, irritation and above all shame filled your mind and caused your stomach to ache.  Gilbert’s blood red eyes met your (e/c) ones for only a moment before you lowered your gaze, quickly regretting your outburst.  Even though Ludwig trusted you, Gilbert took far more convincing, and irritating him just made him even more distant.  “Gilbert, I-,”  
“Save it…” he murmured.  Your gaze trailed up to the albino questioningly,   
“What?”  
“If all you vere going to do vas sulk around after aiding us, then vhy help in the first place?” his words were filled with bitterness and stung deeply.  Many things ran through your head, but you couldn’t manage to put any of them into words.  Your brow furrowed and you softly bit your lower lip. “Vell?” he said,   
“I…”   
Gilbert scoffed, “Think about it Fraulein, and try to give me a reasonable answer, ja?” he waved a quick, cold goodbye before he exited the tent, leaving your tongue tied.

You hadn’t even realised how tightly your hands were clenched until a sharp pain shot through your palm and up your arm.  You looked down and saw fresh, warm blood dripping from between your knuckles.  Swiftly you unclenched your hands.  Rather deep nail marks cut through the main section of your palms, and allowed the red liquid to gush freely which caused your stomach to flip and head to spin.   
“Shit…” you muttered under your breath whilst searching in the growing darkness for a, preferably clean, piece of cloth to wrap the wound in.  After a few minutes of a non-successful hunt the sun had almost completely disappeared, and you settled for tearing two strips of cloth from the bottom of your thin shirt. “I have to get Ludwig to show me how to work the damn lamp…”

You had just managed to sit back down when Ludwig returned.  A few stray strands of his platinum blonde hair fell over his forehead, and you could just tell from his body language that he was exhausted.  Immediately you hid your hands between the baggy folds of your trousers.  The blonde suppressed a tired sigh and fiddled around with a few objects in the tent before he took a seat opposite you and lit an oil lamp.  That was when the small droplets of crimson blood became visible. 

Small smears of your blood lay across the surface of the table, and some items that covered it.  Sure, you had fiddled with a few things whilst looking for a piece cloth, but you were sure it wasn’t that many, it couldn’t have been… right?  You forced back a curse as your eyes travelled up to the man opposite you.  His bright blue eyes were wide, and he seemed to be in a state of shock for a short-lived moment before his focus was directed at you.   
“Vhat happened?” his voice was eerily hollow, and lacked the anger you had expected.    
After a hesitant moment you spoke, “I, uh-,” you stopped and held up your hands, the small pieces of cloth that you were able to scavenge were soaked through completely with blood. 

Ludwig shot over to you in an instant.  Gently he took one of your hands in his and carefully unravelled the cloth around the wound.  You cringed and sucked in a sharp breath as the final layer was peeled away from the tenderness of your palm.  The German’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he began to delicately prod around the edges of your hand.  He sighed and muttered something you couldn’t understand.   
“I vill take you to the medic…” He stood and flipped the few stray stands of hair back into place with both his hands.  You could see the fatigue in his eyes, and his movements were evidently sluggish at times.  He shouldn’t have been pushing himself so much for you, but he was and you couldn’t understand why.  After being put into his care the other officers began to call him weak for sparing your life, which only pushed his odd desire to appear ‘strong’ into overdrive.  He would often return late at night, in a slight daze and ready to collapse.  Guilt hit your stomach and reacted rather violently with the other emotions and caused your head to spin for a second.   
“I’ll be fine, you don’t need to-,”  
“No, it’s my duty as your… guardian,” he said, the last word was slightly more delayed than it should have been, which confused you in more than one way.  Before you could react, Ludwig had pulled you up and had begun to walk towards the medic’s tent.

 Now that the sun was gone, the slightly more reckless soldiers came out to ‘play’.  Luckily you were still hiding your true gender, only Gilbert, Ludwig, the General and a few selected officers were privy to that information, so you weren’t the focus of their ‘special’ attention, unlike some of the local girls that they continuously chased after.    
“Ludwig,” you said whilst trotting to keep up with his vigorous pace. “Ludwig, I’m fine, really…” your voice was a little shaky from the constant movement.   
“Vhy?” he asked.  You both stopped walking for a moment and you stared into the back of Ludwig’s head.    
“’Why’, what? What are you talking about?”   
 Ludwig gazed up to the rising moon and took a deep breath in, “Nothing… Keep moving otherwise the Medic will retire for the night before we get there…” and with that, the German soldier began to move again, picking up the same brisk pace.

***

The medic, Roderich Edelstein, was the son of the General and, more or less, one of the few pleasant men in the camp.  Although, the more people compared the two men, the less they seemed alike.  Looks or personality wise, or that’s what you thought anyway.  The General had bright green eyes and lightly tanned skin from years of training in the sun, his son on the other hand had mesmerising purple eyes and rather pale skin.  They both shared the same chocolate brown hair, but that was their only visible similarity.    
“Vell, it’s nothing serious at least…” Roderich’s deep mauve eyes met yours.  He stood before making his way over to a small desk that held several stacks of paper and many pens, pencils and a small lamp.  “Are you alvays prone to accidents? This is the second time I’ve had to treat an unintentionally self-inflicted vound…” he picked up a slim file and scribbled notes into it.   
“Unfortunately ye- wait, second time?” you eyed the brunette curiously.    
“Ja, Roderich vas the one who treated you vhen you first arrived,” Ludwig said from the doorway.  Like the gentleman Roderich had proclaimed to be, he had offered his comrade a seat on more than one occasion, but Ludwig had refused every time.  You mentally sighed, why was he so damn hard to read?  
“You vill not be able to use your hands for a little vhile, and you’ll have to be cautious of infections,” Roderich paused for a moment and flipped through the file more. “That’s about all…” He placed the folder back on the desk.  You nodded whilst sliding off of the sheet lined bench and made your way back over to Ludwig.   
“Sorry for keeping you,” you said apologetically, but the brunette quickly waved it off.    
“I’m going to be here all night regardless,” he looked over his shoulder to the back-end of the large medical tent; more than a dozen stretcher beds were full of men who laid eerily still.  You had noticed the injured soldiers on the way in, but hadn’t thought that much of it.  “They vere a part of Gilbert’s company,” the doctor removed his thinly framed glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, I don’t know how he continuously escapes injury,” his eyes rose to meet Ludwig’s, “I know he’s your older brother, but you should try to reign him in… more often than not people like that will have a sudden and harsh reality check…” Your eyes shifted between the two men before Ludwig finally spoke up,   
“I’ll be sure to varn him, though, it isn’t the first time I’ve heard this…” the blonde looked almost worried, but the almost emotion was quickly wiped from his face.  You both waved goodbye before once again heading towards Ludwig’s tent.

***

After being at the camp site for more than a month, you had finally begun to understand the layout.  The bunker was at the heart of the labyrinth of tents.  It held prisoners, as well as few meeting rooms and rooms for highest ranking officer and special guest rooms.  Then there was then a gap of bare land, which was used for training and storing machinery, trucks and such.  Further out was a square perimeter of tents that housed ammunition, medical provisions and food.  After that the square layout continued and had several rows of tents for the high ranking soldiers as well as medic tents, like the one Roderich managed.  From then on the same system applied, and the further you went from the bunker, the weaker and more reckless soldiers you would find.  They had the tents spread periodically around the very outer rim, but the tents would often house the more blood thirsty soldiers, though they preferred to be called ‘skilled’, because they would be guaranteed the first shot, should an invasion occur. 

You had just passed the colonels tent when something grabbed your arm, and sharply pulled you backwards.  It was only when you were pulled into the darkness of the tent that you realised that the ‘something’ was actually someone’s arms.  You fought against the tight hold and managed to let a muffled yelp escape your throat. A deep, husky laugh echoed in your ear,  
“There  rumours that the Lieutenant was hiding a little chica, but I never thought that they would be true…”


	4. Is he Alive?!

The man’s voice was so low it was barely a whisper, and had an unmistakeably Spanish accent too it.  Panic ran through to your core, and you instantly froze at his words.  He leaned closer to the nape of your neck; his arms slid around your waist, the thick scent of alcohol that was on his breath made you want to gag.  Again you tried to squirm free, but his hold on you tightened, pinning your arms against your sides.   
“Carriedo,” Ludwig’s voice cut in, a clicking sound reached your ears. “Vhat do you think you’re doing?” his tone was deadly serious, as were his blue eyes.    
“Hm?” the Spaniard looked up from you, eyes meeting a small pistol aimed directly at his forehead.  Immediately he released you, a grin tugged at his mouth. “Just some horseplay with a comrade…” The green eyed man stepped back; you took the chance to scamper towards Ludwig.

With that the blonde holstered his pistol which released the tension in his shoulders, though his glare could still kill.   
“Vhere did you hear the rumour, Antonio Fernández Carriedo?” he growled.    
Antonio was completely calm; tenderness coated his features, “Ah, well, that’s a-,”  
“I-It vas the awesome m-me Bruder!” a slurred chuckle erupted in the still night air, in your opinion it should have woken the entire camp.  Suddenly a drunken Gilbert emerged from the darkness in between the tents.  He stumbled over thin air and looked as though he was trying to swat imaginary flies from his face; a groan came from the blonde beside you.   
“Carriedo, return to your quarters, speak of what you’ve learned to no one. I’ll make sure this imbecile doesn’t bother anyone else tonight…” the words of the highly ranked officer seemed to be a sobering experience for Antonio, because he nodded, saluted, though it was rather wobbly, and disappeared into the darkness of the night.  
“Eh?” Gilbert sounded outraged, even if all he could manage was incoherent grunts and noises you couldn’t even begin to describe. “Vhy’d you do that?! Ve vere just having fuuuuuunnn…” he pouted and stumbled forward, almost falling flat on his face in the process.   
“Bruder…” Ludwig paused, just as he was about to open his mouth to speak again, but the albino swayed and fell sideways, straight onto the cold, and slightly muddy ground.

***

Gilbert was completely dead to the world.  You sat in the same seat as usual, literally twiddling your thumbs while waiting for Ludwig to return with another cot.  By the time he did return, the moon was high above your head and glowed with a magnificent blue hue, the look on Ludwig’s face was unsettling though.  His usually calm demeanour was a mixture of exasperated and frazzled, what surprised you even more than that was the fact that he returned empty handed.

“They vere out of spare cots, even Gilbert’s is being occupied… so that is the only free one…” he gestured to your usual bed, which was folded up underneath the large table.  On a regular night, Ludwig would help you to unfold it after the night time meal and you would sleep in the main part of the tent with the doors drawn shut.  But now… you looked at the folded cot, it was just a little bigger than a single body’s width, at times, you found that it would start to move and shrink in size just from your weight. 

The German, obviously sensing your slight unease about the situation spoke up, “You take the cot, and I’ll be fine to stay avake until Gilbert gets over his hangover…” his words were mumbled.  The blonde started to move the table, you stepped forward,   
“N-no, you’ve been training all day and you looked ready for bed before the sun had even disappeared…” he seemed taken aback from your words.  
“If you feel so strongly, then ve’ll sleep in shifts…” before you could offer to stay awake first, he started again, “On the condition that you take the cot first…” Neither of you had the strength or will to argue at that point, so you just ended up searching in the dimly lit tent for the small duffle bag of loose fitting clothed you had been supplied with and readied yourself for bed.

“How is it I can lose something that I use every day?” you softly growled to yourself.  Today just hadn't been your day, and by the end of the painful search you were glad to sleep what remained of it away.  Sheepishly you walked into Ludwig’s makeshift room and began to undress.  Something shifted behind you, and, after what happened earlier, you quickly spun, ready for any incoming attack.  However the only thing that met your vision was Gilbert’s sleeping form.  Your eyes widened and you moved back into the main part of the tent before even thinking.

So there you stood, half naked, in front of a wide eyed German soldier.  A rather handsome and – no, no you couldn’t - or rather shouldn’t be thinking like that.  Your limbs and mind were frozen, and you could barely register the cold chill of the night, or the wandering eyes of the man before you.  The shirt you were going to put on slid from your hands and danced for a moment in the blowing wind, which also caused your (h/c) hair to skim over your cheeks and forehead.  Something, though you weren’t quite sure what, brought you back to reality and your hands immediately shot up to cover what you could of your bare chest.  Ludwig quickly turned and lowered his head, struggling to prevent the bright blush from coating his cheeks.   
“S-sorry-” you stuttered as you bent down to pick up the shirt and held it over your now goose bump covered skin.  Ludwig turned on his heels, exited the tent and released the doors before you had a chance to finish the sentence.

Never had you dressed so quickly in your entire life.  The baggy shirt draped over your shoulders, with more than enough fabric to spare, and the pants were about three sizes too big, but you made it work with a make-shift belt, and a form-fitting jacket.  You sighed and stepped swiftly straight through the tent and poked your head out of the doors.   
“Um… you can come back in…” you didn’t even see all of Ludwig, or wait for a response, instead you turned and went straight back into the warmth of the tent.

***

Ludwig’s POV

He couldn’t stay in the tent, well, besides the obvious fact that ________ was in there, half naked.  The blonde man took a deep, steadying breath and listened to the fast-pace beating sound of his heart before he tangled his fingers in his silky hair and tightly shut his eyes. 

Almost all of the tents around the German were silent.  He often found peace and quiet on sleepless nights by slinking away into the forest, and wandering for hours on end, but he couldn’t leave, not this time.  Forgetting his drunken oaf of a brother, there were far worse men skulking around the camp in the silence of the night, he wasn’t going to leave her totally defenceless.  Resisting the urge to punch a tree until his knuckles bled, the German swallowed his emotions, and started back towards the tent.   
“Um… you can come back in…” her voice was like blissful music to his ears, and yet he didn’t have the nerve to tell her so.  The past month had been peaceful to Ludwig, with the exception of the all-important war that often saw him torn away from her.  The blonde more than enjoyed her company, her small quirks and rather dry sarcasm that was often aimed at deviant soldiers.  He was sure she was happy to spend time without him though.  Awkwardness had begun to build in the wordless moments after they had kissed, he didn’t know how to remedy the situation, and it had begun to eat him alive.   
“She should feel that way though… I suppose…” he whispered to himself and straightened his deep blue uniform before continuing into the tent.

***

Your POV

You pulled on the metal bar again, and again, and again.  It barely budged.  Your brow furrowed and you put all the strength you could muster into unfolding the cot.  Finally one side gave in, hitting the dry ground with a loud clang.  Immediately you checked to see if the drunkard had woken up from the noise, but he hadn’t moved.  You breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back around and nearly jumped out of your skin when you saw the Ludwig entering the tent.  Which, in reality, was pretty stupid, you had called him back in after all.    
“Are you having trouble unfolding the cot?” his voice strangely lacked emotion, almost as if he didn’t want to be there.  Had you offended him? And, to ask a better question, why did you care so much? No matter how you tried to convince yourself that you didn’t there was still a nagging voice that argued the opposite that just wouldn’t go away. “_______,” this time concern carried through in his voice.   
“Y-yeah,” you answered, “Sorry, I’m just a little… tired,” you lied.  Luckily though, Ludwig accepted it, and moved towards the cot.  He made quick work of unfolding the far end, the other was another story completely though.  The high pitched squeaking filled the night air, and caused you to cover your ears.  The German stepped away from the still half folded cot with a huff.  You moved next to him and gestured for him to take hold of the bent limb of the bed, once he did you both pulled.  Again a high pitched noise, that you would have sworn was screaming, echoed through the night.  Finally with one last tug the rusty limb gave way, sending you backwards into the cold ground.

You cringed as pain shot through your hip and palms.  Tears filled the corner of your eyes as you barely managed to lift yourself into a sitting position.   
“Are you okay?” The German man asked, his hands reaching for yours before he quickly retracted them.  Your gaze lifted.  The moonlight almost made it seem like he was glowing which caused his bright blue eyes to shine.  It was cheesy, and you knew it, but it still made your heart flutter.   
“Y-yes, I’m fine,” you quickly scrambled to stand, but failed miserably and ended up hurtling back towards the ground. 

Strong warm arms wrapped around your midsection, your arms rested on his chest and you were barely an inch from his face.  The very pale pink that coloured his cheeks caused yours to heat up uncontrollably.   
“Ludwig I-” you were cut off midsentence by the Germans soft lips crashing into your own.   The kiss was forceful at first, but as you felt Ludwig’s tension disappear, it became deeper and far more pleasant.

Unfortunately you both had to pull away from the lack of air.  Your cheeks were still coloured a bright shade of red, and your mind was more flustered than usual.  Without having said another word, your lips met again, far more ferocious and overwhelming than before.  Ludwig’s hands slipped down your sides and gipped your thighs, lifting you up to his height.  Taking this advantage, you hooked your legs around him and softly ran one of your hands through his now dishevelled blonde hair.  His tongue trailed across your lower lip, asking for entrance.  Of course you gave it to him.  Almost immediately his tongue began to explore every crevice of your mouth, causing a soft, muffled moan to escape your lips.

Ludwig began walking towards the unfolded cot, managing to continue the passionate kiss and hold you up with little difficulty as he went.  Gently he laid you down and moved over you.  Needless to say you were a little nervous, but the German man had awoken a lustful fire in the pit of your stomach that wouldn’t quell.  The blonde, sensing your apprehension, slowed down a little.  His thumbs rubbed soothing circles over your hips and he placed soft kisses over your neck, occasionally stopping to suck on your (s/c) skin. 

A few minutes passed and you found yourself completely shirtless and with little covering your lower regions, the German man above you was in the same situation.  Your hand lazily trailed up his muscular chest, his warm flesh sent a tingle through your cold form.  The blonde lowered himself, forcing you into an enjoyably deep kiss.  His hands skimmed over your exposed sides, goose-bumps rose on your skin and his tongue once again explored your mouth.  Screw slowing down, you made up your mind then and there, you wanted him more than anything. 

Ludwig’s fingers hooked around the top of your underwear and slowly slid them from your legs.  Your lips met again as the man above you began to delicately knead your breast.  A soft moan built in your throat and your hands ran over his muscular physique.  His hand slowly made its way down to your womanhood, causing you to sharply inhale as he pressed a single digit inside. 

You cringed at first, but as he slowly began to move, the pain lessened allowing euphoria to flood your body, and when he pulled out, you whimpered quietly.  Gently he kissed up your stomach to your neck, entangling his hand in your (h/c) hair he whispered,   
“Are you ready?” You gnawed on your lip for a moment and nodded. 

You held your breath as Ludwig entered you.  Soft whimpers and gasps came from you both until he was comfortably inside. Your breathing was ragged, completely taken by surprise by his size, every movement, however slight, caused discomfort.  After a few uneasy moments, you were able to catch your breath.    
“M… Move… please…” was at the time, all you could manage before the German man began to move.  The thrusts were soft and excruciatingly slow at first, but became far more rhythmic and pleasurable as the seconds passed.  The muscles in your legs tightened and wrapped around Ludwig, one of your hands intertwined with his, while the other held onto the blondes shoulder.  Your lips met for a messy, and out of breath kiss, but you were forced apart as his movements shot deeper into your core, a loud moan escaped your lips and your nails dug into his skin.  
“L-Ludwig,” you breathed in sharply as you suppressed another moan.  The man above you was apparently having the same difficulties,   
“________,” his voice was husky and sent a pleasurable shiver down your spine. 

You could feel an enjoyable pressure building in the pit of your stomach, forcing your hips to buck against Ludwig’s which just made the pressure intensify.  From then on you couldn’t stop the moans, as much as you tried, they just couldn’t stop.  With one final thrust, your vision blurred was sent over the edge, immersed in a seemingly never ending wave of pleasure.  Ludwig followed soon after, but he was somehow able to muffle his groan. 

Both of you were panting, and you had little strength to think straight, let alone move.  Luckily, Ludwig seemed more than happy to stay still for a moment.  That’s when you heard a groan from the back of the tent.  You and Ludwig immediately froze, though that took little effort.  The sound of sheets rustling hit your ears and made your heart race.  Damn it Gilbert had the WORST timing.  You waited for a good few minutes, but there was nothing.  No footsteps, no more noises that would indicate that he was up and moving.  A happy sigh echoed from the back of the tent, followed closely by soft snoring.  You both breathed a sigh of relief and Ludwig moved to lie next to you, his arms wrapped tightly around your midsection and pulled you closer to him.  He leaned down and pulled a folded blanket over the two of you, allowing his overflowing warmth to travel deeper into your body, which seemed to coo you into a deep sleep.

***

Ludwig’s POV

The birds were unnaturally noisy.  Ludwig’s eyes cracked open, a soft groan escaping his throat.  He wanted to sit up, but the warm weight on his chest prevented that.  The Germans blue eyes looked down to _______’s sleeping form.  A small, almost unnoticeable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.  Carefully he lifted you off of his chest and placed you in his place before getting up and dressing. 

When Ludwig stepped out of the tent, he was met by a familiar sight.  Gilbert sat between two tents, his shoulders, legs and a large majority of his head were covered in yellow canary birds, each chirping happily as the albino spoiled them with affection.    
“You’re one lucky Dummkopf…” Gilbert called, his focus never leaving the mess yellow of feathers.   
“I suppose…” Ludwig looked up to the cloud covered sky that let only a few rays of morning light through.    
“I guess I vas wrong… vith the Italian, you got the rank of Lieutenant.  And vith her you get sex.  Maybe she isn’t totally worthless,” Ludwig didn’t quite know how to respond.  He opened his mouth to reply, but Gilbert cut him off. “A storm is coming… you should get back to your tent…” the albino’s voice was clear and unwavering.  The blonde thought for a moment then nodded, for once following his brothers advice he turned and headed back from whence he came. “One lucky Dummkopf…” he repeated, almost bitterly this time.

***

The next few weeks were like a blissful daze.  Ludwig subtly was able to switch his single cot for a larger one and you both slept in it at night, though there were some nights that held very little sleep.  You were also able to spend a more meaningful time together, instead of the awkward questions and silence that came with the first few weeks.  However, one day, that all changed.

It was peaceful enough in the morning, like always Gilbert was running his mouth and his soldiers, following their commanding officers example, did the same.  Birds chirped, the wind howled and the full force of winter hit the camp.  It covered everything in a layer of pure white snow that only gathered as the day went on.  Many of the sick or injured came close to freezing to death, and the soldiers, unless they were training, stayed inside their somewhat warm tents.  But something was off. The eerie silence that winter brought made your mind wander and stomach churn.  It was the first time in a while you had been completely alone.  Ludwig and Gilbert took their troops out on, according to Gilbert, a ‘super-secret mission’, the details of which Ludwig refused to tell you; Antonio was attending a debriefing   that took most of the day and Roderich was busy tending to the injured troops. 

No matter how you thought or where you went, you couldn’t shake the feeling of something ominous nearing little did you know your feelings actually held merit. 

***

It was the late afternoon when Ludwig and Gilbert’s troops returned, well, most of them anyway.   You ran to the medic tents as fast as your feet could manage when the whispers of an injured squad that was almost completely wiped out reached your ears. 

At most there were twenty men who were severely injured and even fewer than that with minor injuries, but then there were those who had died.  Their bodies of very few were carried back, many had died on the return trip, and others had collapsed once they were back.  Barely fifty men returned out of nearly three hundred. Your mind completely checked out, the sound of Roderich and other doctors frantically yelling at their nurses, cries for pain and talking amongst the troops faded out.  Your eyes scanned for the tall blonde and albino man.  Neither was among those who were able to stand on their own or in a cot reserved to the severely hurt.  Were they dead? No, that couldn’t be.  Your hands began to tremble, sure Gilbert was an obnoxious, egotistical idiot, but you wouldn’t want him to die, let alone Ludwig.  Panic ran through your body and froze you in place.  Your chest began to ache, and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears.  Quickly you shot through the mass of people that had gathered around the medic tents, making your way into one of the covered areas you hadn’t checked.   Someone grabbed your arm and pulled you backwards.  Immediately your head whipped around, and you were staring into a familiar set of violet eyes.   
“_________ follow me.” Roderich said his voice hoarse and obvious signs of stress covered his features.  You nodded and followed him through the still gathering crowds.   The brunette walked quickly, and entered a small, closed off room, following quickly behind you could barely breathe and with each step, you could feel your legs shaking.

Tears gathered in your eyes, there were very few reasons that Roderich would pull you aside.  You held your breath as a million thoughts ran through your head, the most predominant being the very real fear that Ludwig was dead.


	5. Because I Love Him

Relief washed over you as you peered into the room.  Ludwig had his chest completely bound by gauze with one arm in a sturdy sling, and Gilbert was sleeping in a very small cot with the covers pulled up almost all the way.  As much as you wanted to make sure that they were both okay, you couldn’t resist the urge to rush over to the blonde and pull him into a tight hug.  He cringed and stiffened slightly at your embrace, causing you to pull away.   
“S-sorry,” you stammered. His usually stern features softened and he kissed from the top of your cheek bone to the edge of your lips.    
“It’s okay…” though you could hear the strain in his voice, but the look in his eyes told you not to worry.  Roderich cleared his throat to make the two of you break away, a faint blush rose on your cheeks and you avoided the gaze of the doctor.   The brunette took a deep breath as if to calm himself before starting,   
“Please make sure that neither of them leave here before I come back,” he turned, obviously preoccupied and more than ready to leave, “Oh, and try not to be too rough vith Ludvig, I just finished his stitches…” he said rather strictly, causing your blush to darken.  You nodded quickly, just as the brunette moved back into the main part of the medic tent.

From then on, Ludwig sat down on one of the office-like chairs that you had guessed were supplied from other places around the camp.  He had also insisted that the bandages were just for show, and that his injury was nothing more than a flesh wound, pretty much forcing you to sit on his lap instead of the ground like you had initially offered.   You took a calming breath and nuzzled into Ludwig’s neck.  He was acting far more open than usual.  Even when you were alone at night, he wasn’t this free with his touches. 

You were trying to be gentle, but each time you shifted, albeit slightly, his heart would continuously change its rhythm, making you worry all the more.  You moved your weight away from the injured man and looked towards the albino.  Gilbert was still asleep, which left Ludwig to tell you what had happened, not the idle chit-chat you had hoped for, but your unease settled slightly just being near him. 

What Ludwig had said left your mind a little fuzzy and stomach knotted.  It was a trap. The whole thing, it was a trap.  You knew the area they had attacked it was the same one you had told the general about that night, only with more guards and weaponry than you had initially thought.  A chilling shiver ran down your spine. Due to your inaccurate information, the troops didn’t properly scout the area and weren’t in the proper formation to fight against the oncoming barrage of enemies… or something like that.  Even if you had trained in the army, your mind couldn’t quite deal with complex military terms that Ludwig used at that moment.   
“It vas my fault, vasn’t it…” Gilbert interjected, his voice harsh, sounding more like a growl than anything else.  Your (e/c) eyes drifted over to the albino man, who still looked asleep. 

How could he think it was his fault? If anything it was yours, your inaccurate information and troop evaluation is what led the troops to think taking the area would be easy.  You took a steadying breath and fought back the urge to gnaw on your bottom lip.  Gilbert’s blood red eyes cracked open and peered over to his brother.    
“Nien,” Ludwig thought for a moment, then sighed, “Not entirely anyway…” Your eye rose to meet Ludwig’s as Gilbert let out a bitter laugh.   
“Don’t be stupid Bruder, if I hadn’t acted like that…” he grumbled something under his breath before rolling over to face away from the both of you. You sighed softly.  This was going to be a long night…

***

Ludwig’s POV

It was passed midnight, and the Ludwig had sent _________ back to their tent to sleep nearly an hour ago.  As much as she wanted to stay, she could barely keep her eyes open. And he knew, probably better than anyone else, how she was feeling about the state of things.

Shortly after _____ left, Roderich was able to find a free cot and told, actually, ordered, his superior officer to get some rest.  However, at around 4am the he still found himself awake.  The blonde tossed and turned for a good hour before finally giving up and leaving the tent.  Much to Ludwig’s surprise, Roderich was still awake busying himself by either sorting out files or checking on patients.  He watched the brunette man work for a few moments before he deemed it safe to try and exit the tent.  He slipped passed the doctors desk, and continued outside.  The freshly cold night air woke him up even more than he had thought it would, and being able to stretch him limbs out fully for the first time in hours felt beyond nice.  To Ludwig, the covert operation of escaping Roderich’s reach was a success, but the brunette knew perfectly well that he had left.  Call it intuition?

***

Death and pain surrounded him no matter where he went.  It was a sobering reminder of where he was, and what he was there to do.  He shouldn’t have been off gallivanting with _________, or let the coaxing warmth of love trick him into a false sense of security.  No, he was there as a high ranking officer, to win the war for the sake of his country.  No other reason.  The blonde tightly closed his eyes and attempted to clear his mind. ‘Heeeeey! Heeeeeeeey Ludwig!’ a voice echoed in his head.  The blue eyed man’s eyebrow twitched irritably.   
“Damned Italian…” Ludwig muttered as he tried to stop his mind before it began to wander, unfortunately he couldn’t stop the continuous bombardment of old, unwanted memories.

~Flashback~

The clouds covered the once bright blue sky, turning the day a dark grey colour.  The birds had long since retreated into their nests, and even the wind wouldn’t grace the camp with its presence. It all reflected Ludwig’s mood perfectly. He let out a soft sigh as the crowd slowly parted, allowing a grief stricken grandfather to pass and mourn over the now lifeless body of his grandson. Each time the old man called for his grandson, Ludwig’s stomach knotted, and he became even number than he already was.   The German’s blue eyes skimmed the crowd for what he knew was coming next. He soon came upon the angered face of Lovino, growing closer and closer as he shoved passed the soldiers until he was standing directly before the German man.

“It was your fault…” the smaller of the two growled. However, his words fell on deaf ears.  Ludwig was too preoccupied staring at the lifeless body of his friend, “damned idiota!” Lovino yelled. Ludwig barely registered the Italian’s fist connecting with his cheek, nor did he particularly care. He deserved it. If he hadn’t pushed Feliciano so hard, if he had kept a closer eye on him, he would still be…

~End Flashback~

The German soldier sighed to himself while rubbing his temple. The drugs Roderich gave him were messing with his head in a way he really didn’t like.  He continued through the camp, occasionally stopping to say a brief ‘hello’ to some standalone troops, but overall, he wanted, no, needed space and time to think. That is until he came across a strange sight.   
“Vhat is the General doing here at such a late hour?” he whispered to himself.  He watched as the General silently entered one of the seemingly empty tents without an escort or anyone else. “Something is off…” Ludwig whispered darkly to himself.

Quickly the blonde stepped to the side of the tent and leaned closely to a small opening.  For a moment he felt bad for eavesdropping, but there was something wasn’t right.  Usually the General would only call people to his tactics tent in large groups for briefings, but as the blonde was able to peer into the tent, he only saw Antonio and another soldier he couldn’t quite recognise.”  
“I’m sorry for calling you here so late, but our original meeting time was interrupted by the commotion earlier.” The General said, “Now, onto business.”

In an attempt to hear better, Ludwig took a tentative step forward, snapping an unfortunately placed stick and causing the three within the tent to stop talking immediately.  Realising what had happened, the blonde dashed behind the adjacent tent and waited. Even though he only moved a few metres, Ludwig’s breath was coming out in small huffs, and his heart was beating faster than it should have been. Maybe the injury was worse than he had initially thought. Cautiously the blue eyed man made his way back to where he had been moments ago.

The Spaniard gasped softly, trying his best to keep what little composure he had.   
“Senor…” his voice was barely over a whisper.  Antonio cleared his throat and continued “Are you sure?” The General nodded briskly.   
“She’s a liability, and, was one of the main reasons that over half of our best squad is dead.” His voice was darkly terrifying.   
“By one of the reasons… do you perhaps mean-” before the green eye man had a chance to finish, the General interjected,   
“Gilbert?” he paused for a moment, “Yes, there is only so much idiocy a person can put up with.  He is a disgrace…” The bitter harshness coming from the Generals words made the Spaniard flinch slightly.  Antonio took a deep breath and thought for a moment whilst biting on his lower lip.   
“What is it you want us to do exactly?” Ludwig leaned in closer to the small opening in the tent to try and hear what it was they were saying, but the wind decided to pick up at that exact moment.  The blonde cursed Mother Nature under his breath and tried to move somewhere he was able to hear, but it seemed that no matter where he would go, the wind was intent on disrupting his hearing.  He growled and moved away from the tent, attempting to calm his now hot head. Though, he knew there was only a small chance of that actually happening.

The blonde walked back around to the front side of the tent, acting as if he were a passer-by, but he knew he couldn’t be seen near the tent when the General left. So he made himself scarce quickly. It did nothing to settle his nerves though, so instead of walking back to the medic tent, or his own, the German man found himself pacing impatiently behind one of the unoccupied tents. And after what felt like hours, a voice carried on the now slow moving wind.   
“Ludwig!” at first it was soft, but as silent moments passed, he heard it again, louder this time, until he caught a glimpse of a familiar Spanish soldier. “Ludwig!” he called loudly, but thankfully not loud enough to wake anyone nearby.  The fact that he was almost out of breath made the German’s nerves return, but he would never show it. “I need to speak to you!” now the green eyed man was directly before the German man.

***

Ludwig’s eyes went wide, how could they have even considered that? A low growl built in his throat, but he forced it away.   
“Thank you, Carriedo…” he said quickly. “I’ll figure something out,” he was about to turn and leave, but Antonio grabbed his arm,   
“I want to help.” The Spaniards serious expression and tone of voice was unfamiliar to Ludwig, but it only took him a moment to recover before he was able to reply,   
“Are you sure, you’ve done more than enough, I vouldn’t vant to endanger your life for someone you barely know…”  
“The General only told two people, I’m sure he’d figure out that it was me that warned you. And the fact that he’d do that to Gilbert…” he trailed off for a moment, “either way, my time in the army ends here.  No matter what happens from here on out, I can’t follow that man anymore.”  The blonde nodded, accepting his offer,   
“Once I figure out what to do, I’ll let you know,” they briefly shook hands before the blonde turned and jogged back towards Roderich’s medical tent.

It took barely three minutes for him to cross nearly half a mile, and by the time he reached the opening door, he was very nearly ready to collapse.  
“Roderich…” Ludwig said, keeping his voice as stable as possible.  “I have a favour to ask… not as your commanding officer, but as your Vetter…” the brunette raised a slender eyebrow.  It was very rare that Ludwig would bring up their family relation on the battlefield because most people would think that was how he achieved the high rank, of course it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop rumours from spreading.    
“Vhat do you need?” he replied, pressing his glasses higher on his nose and dropping what little paperwork he had in his hands onto his desk.

***

Your POV

Slowly you sat up, allowing the small amount of sunlight that intruded in the tent to fully wake you up. Your (e/c) eyes scanned Ludwig’s desk for the small clock he had.  It was just after noon.  Your eyes widened as your (adj.) frame quickly slid out from underneath the thick blankets.  Ludwig was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was still under observation.  You pouted to yourself for a moment and readied yourself for the day. Though, you didn’t see much point in doing so, of late you had sensed you were just in the way most of the time.

Just as you had managed to pull a thin, navy blue jacket over your shoulders, an intense bout of nausea ripped through you. Stumbling backwards, you rested against the main desk in Ludwig’s tent.  Your head spun, and stomach lurched.  You were more than sure you were going to throw up, luckily, you hadn’t eaten much of anything yesterday, and so nothing could come back up.  You stood, leaning against the desk for a few more minutes before stepping forward. Even if the feeling had passed, you decided to talk to Roderich, if he had enough time.

***

As you entered the now familiar tent, you were greeted by a somewhat sleep deprived, but overall calmer Roderich.  He flashed you a small smile and welcomed you back,   
“I should have expected that you’d get back as soon as you’d voken up, but I didn’t expect you to sleep so long.” You half laughed,   
“I had a little trouble sleeping once I actually got to bed, that’s all,” the brunette nodded slightly,   
“Yesterday vas… hectic, to say the least. Vith all the adrenaline and vhat not, I’m amazed you got to sleep at all,” you knew he probably dumbed down the explanation for you, but you didn’t really mind. “Sit down if you’d like, Ludvig had the same trouble sleeping as you did, so he isn’t avake yet,” You nodded and took a seat across from the doctor.

He went back to work once your interaction was over, leaving your eyes to wander over the few remaining soldiers that had survived the night. Almost a third of the beds that were filled only a few hours ago now stood empty.

Suddenly another bout of nausea tore through your mid-section, causing you to double over from the horrid feeling.  You cringed as the nausea intensified into something that resembled pain, but then if vanished. When you managed to sit back up, your eyes met with Roderich’s purple ones,   
“Are you okay, ____________?” you nodded slowly,   
“Just a little nausea… ” He eyed you for a moment,   
“Vould you like me to take a look?” you hesitated for a moment, did you really want to take up anymore of his time? You took a breath,   
“Are you sure? I mean, you’re not too busy?” the brunette smiled and stood, gesturing for you to follow.

The examination was in a curtained of area near the back of the tent.  Roderich wheeled a spare cot in and invited you to sit down.  Overall it didn’t take very long. Some prodding, poking, a blood test, and you were done. Apparently nothing seemed too wrong, Roderich did tell you to try and eat something and drink plenty of water, but nothing else. You were relieved, being sick wasn’t your favourite pastime, and considering the setting you were in at the moment, it would have only hindered you more.  A soft groan came from the temporarily separate room beside you.   
“It sounds like Gilbert is avake… Ludvig shouldn’t be too far off then,” he stood and moved to exit the room, “It’s the same room as before, I suspect Ludvig vill be happy to see you,” as he exited the room, you saw his eyes glance back for a moment, with something you couldn’t quite read.  Was it sadness? Or pity? Your brow furrowed as you slid off of the bed. Lately things just felt wrong.

***

“…Vhat do you mean I can leave?”  The albino demanded, trying to sit up, but pain caused him to almost immediately lie back down.   
“You’re no longer fit for combat, which is the only thing you’re actually good at. Face it you’re quite possibly the worse example to set for new recruits and to be completely honest your mere presence here gives me a migraine…” The brunette stated coldly.   Gilbert laid there for a moment, stunned.   
“Listen here you damned -,”   
“Bruder…” Ludwig sighed “Listen to him, if you stay here, you’ll just hurt yourself more,” the concern in the younger brother’s voice was obvious to you.  However, you heard something else, urgency? Why would Ludwig want to force his own brother from the camp?  For a moment Gilbert glared between you, Ludwig and Roderich before nodding.   
“Fine…” he croaked. Ludwig gave an unreadable look to Roderich, who quickly exited the tent.   
“There’s one more thing that both of you need to know.” Your (e/c) eyes drifted up to meet Ludwig’s and again, the sense of urgency was there. “The General is plotting something…  Gilbert.” He called to his elder brother, “We’ve arranged for you to leave in a few days, and I want you to take __________ with you…” his voice trailed off, allowing his words to sink in.

Both you and Gilbert looked at the blonde with stunned expressions. You were able to comprehend what he said, but neither of you really understood why he had decided to do this. Your (e/c) eyes flicked between the two brothers, who seemed to be having their own silent staring war.   
“I vouldn’t ask this of you, if it veren’t important.” Ludwig’s voice was low, and warning. “I can’t give you any more details right now. I’m leaving that to Antonio, he’ll be around in-.” This caught Gilbert attention, angering him even more.   
“You’re dragging Antonio into this too?!” the albino’s voice rose harshly, but his younger brother quickly shushed him.   
“Please… bruder… do this for me…” All the while you had remained silent. The General was planning something, probably because of the incident yesterday. But still... why would Gilbert be in danger. Your mind was clouded with a thousand thoughts a moment and made your head spin.  You had to get out of the tent. Something in you couldn’t allow you to stay in the hot, claustrophobic room any longer.  So you left as quickly as you could and sat on the dirt covered ground, holding back your confused and fear-filled tears.   
“Liebe…” you heard a voice call. Your (e/c) eyes lifted to see the blonde man crouching down beside you. “I’m sorry… I only found out earlier this morning, if I had known before hand, I vould have been able to figure something else out, but this is the only vay to keep you safe.” He reached forward and brushed his fingertips along your cheek, causing a small shiver to travel down your spine.   
“Come with us then,” you grabbed a hold of his sleeve and looked into his bright blue eyes. “Please,” his free hand glided through your (h/c) hair,   
“Liebe, I can’t…” your grip on his sleeve loosened, “if I stay here, I can make sure that they von’t find you,” you could feel your lower lip tremble and eyes fill with tears again. “________,” he said softly whilst wiping a fallen tear from your cheek. “I’m sorry,” he pulled you into a tight, but warm embrace, which you gladly accepted.

***

4 Days later

You hadn’t expected to be leaving to soon. In fact, you thought that you wouldn’t leave until Gilbert was fully healed, but apparently, you didn’t have that kind of time.   
“You all know vhat to do, right?” Ludwig looked from Gilbert to Antonio to you.  Each of you nodded, “and the story, just in case you get caught?” The albino couldn’t help but laugh,   
“Frau couldn’t help but fall for my awesomeness.” He flashed you a smug grin, which you repaid with a deathly glare, “You caught us together, and we left,” There were more details than that, but you were running low on daylight and you needed all the time with the sun you could get to safely make it through the forest surrounding the campsite. Ludwig sighed,   
“It’ll do…” You were in Gilbert’s tent, which he shared with Antonio, it was kind of a surreal feeling knowing that this would be the last time you would see Ludwig for, god knows how long.  The fact that you weren’t allowed to spend it alone just irked you off.  The blonde reached behind him to the head of a bayonet, which he carefully threw to Gilbert. “Now,” He said sternly, his brother nodded and lunged forward, plunging the tip of the bayonet into the Youngers unharmed shoulder,   
“Ludwig!!!” you screeched, immediately running to his side.  However, the crimson eyed man grabbed you and started running before you could do anything of use.

For a moment you fought against Gilbert as he pulled you along the forest, but you remembered what was happening, so you went along with the silver haired man and eventually your legs adjusted to the speed that the albino was pulling you along at. Though, you still made a mental note to smack Gilbert and Antonio for not telling you that they were going to do such a thing.

You had only made it a few dozen metres into the forest before the sirens sounded and there were trained and blood-thirsty soldiers on your tail.  A burning sensation rose in your lungs and your pace slowed.  Gilbert’s hold on you tightened as he ran faster, at that moment he was the only thing keeping you running at the pace they needed, so Antonio took the lead.   
“Damn it Frau!” the German grumbled before scooping you up and carrying you over his shoulder the rest of the way.

***

By the time you neared the edge of the forest, Gilbert looked about ready to collapse.   
“Are you okay?” you said as he slid you down from his shoulder. He nodded,   
“Ja…” his breath was ragged, and it was easy to tell that he was still badly hurt.   
“This way!” Antonio called from behind a well hidden jeep. However it was getting dark. Fast. And you needed to get somewhere out of the reach of the military faster.

Once Gilbert was able to sit down for a little while, he returned to the same, cocky individual you were used to. Antonio volunteered to drive and you took a seat next to him, which left the albino enough room to spread out along the backseat.  You all drove in a tense silence for the first hour or so, but as you put more and more distance between you and the campsite, all three of you calmed and eventually were able to relax a little. However, once you completely passed through the deserted areas nearest the forest, you felt both Antonio and Gilbert’s anxiety rise. Passing through town so close to the front lines was a tricky thing to do, especially in the dead of night with no headlights.   
“If someone tries to stop you vhen ve get back onto the road, run them over…” your eyes widened slightly,   
“Why-”   
“Because.” Gilbert cut you off.   
“That isn’t much of a reason…” you pouted, it may have been a childish thing to do, but he never acting any better,   
“Antonio…” the German grumbled, looking for the answer to his earlier statement.  
“I understand…” the Spaniards usual happy-go-lucky attitude was masked by a serious exterior.

It was weird; the whole situation was completely foreign to you.  The first real mission you had received was only a few days before Ludwig and Gilbert found you, so you hadn’t been able to adjust to anything harder than a simple scouting job. Now you were on the run from one army, and unable to contact the other because of Gilbert and Antonio.  You sighed. How did everything go so wrong? And why did it seem nearly impossible to make it right?   
“It’s going to be fine, chica.” Your (e/c) eyes snapped over to meet the Spaniards, his usual smile gracing his features. His smile faltered for a moment, you guessed it was because of the sceptical, or even saddened look on your face. “Ludwig won’t let them get anywhere near us, and if they do, then the ‘awesome Gilbert’ will be there,” his words were soft and kind, but it didn’t stop the flood of emotions you had from erupting.   
“But you can’t know that for sure! Gilbert is badly injured still, and if they figure out that Ludwig or Roderich helped us, then they-” you couldn’t even bare to finish your sentence, but it didn’t stop your lower lip from trembling or tears from flowing down your cheeks.  You felt bad for snapping at him, he was only trying to help. Antonio sighed softly to himself before reaching one hand out and placing it gently on your head.   
“Trust me. Ludwig knows what he’s getting himself into, and so do Gilbert and I.” he ruffled your (h/c) hair before placing his hand back onto the steering wheel. “Get some sleep for now, I’ll wake you both up when we hit the first little town,” Both? Your eyes travelled back to the German man, he was fast asleep.  You laughed to yourself for a moment, before following Antonio’s advice, and falling asleep.

***

You were awoken by the moving light of the sun. Your eyes cracked open and you immediately felt the motion of the car.  Your eyes opened fully and eventually drifted over to a figure you thought to be Antonio.    
“Finally avake, Frau?” You finally focused your vision on the albino man driving the unfamiliar car. You immediate reaction was to almost jump out of your seat and look around like a lost child looking for their mother,   
“W-what happened to the jeep?” your breathing was abnormally staggered due to the surprise.   
“Had to dump it, othervise it would have looked too suspicious,” you leaned back in the cushy seat at his words.   
“Where’s-”   
“Asleep,” Gilbert gestured to the seat behind the both of you, you decided to take his word for it, because the awkward sleeping position you had spent a great many hours in took its toll on your neck. “We passed a town about thirty minutes ago; apparently they hadn’t heard that the camp had three run-aways, so it’s safe to say that his part of the country is probably under the control of the allies now,” You gazed out of the window to the countryside-like landscape, they had made significant progress in advancing. Maybe it was a good thing you were leaving, but then your heart nagged that Ludwig should have come with you too.   
“Gilbert…” you started. The albino beside you made a noise that suggested that he was listening. “Why… Why didn’t Ludwig just kill me…? If he had, none of this would have happened.” Gilberts blood red eyes met your gaze for a moment before turning back to the road.   
“Haven’t we been through this already?” he grumbled irritably.   
“You said I wouldn’t make it a week, so there was no point in telling me.” You replied, with a ‘matter of fact’ tone. The albino muttered something in German.   
“Fine…” he took a deep breath before starting.

“Ludwig, just over a year ago, got attached to one of the new recruits. He was the Grandson of the general at the time and he spent almost every waking hour chasing after Ludwig wanting to play soccer or something stupid like that.” He yawned and rubbed one of his eyes, “However, he did try, for his grandfather’s sake, to become a respectable soldier. Most of the time he did fail though…” He laughed to himself for a moment. “After a few months of training, Feliciano was put into Ludwig’s division so he wouldn’t go running off.” The albino abruptly stopped talking this time, as if he didn’t want to continue, “After their third mission as a platoon, there was an accident and he became separated from Ludwig.  It took a while, and when they did find him, they found out that he died.” The strain and pain laced in Gilbert’s voice made your stomach tighten. “Ludwig spent weeks drowning his sorrows in beer, not really paying attention to any of his work. When he did manage to snap back into reality, our uncle was the General-”   
“Wait, your uncle?” Gilbert eyed you for a moment,   
“You don’t know? Ja. The General is mein and Ludwig’s uncle, and Roderich is our cousin.” He shrugged and continued, “Erm… oh yes, the former General, Feliciano’s grandfather, had designated the position of Lieutenant Ludwig’s before the incident. He took it to make sure he would be able to protect anyone who needed it. Two months later, we found you. He saw the same fear and life in your eyes as he did Feliciano’s. So he couldn’t bear to kill you, even if it meant that you would be taken back to the camp and… ‘Questioned’ he would have done anything to save you.” You were quiet for minutes, letting everything sink in.   
“It’s nice to know, that he didn’t save my life on a whim.” You murmured.

***

You walked quickly behind Gilbert, making sure to keep your face covered by the hooded jacket.  It was definitely a good thing that you could pull off looking like a guy in a crowded situation, so no one stared at you because of your ‘out-of-place-ness’. Almost a week had passed since you left the camp and Ludwig.  You couldn’t go directly from Germany to France, so instead, you travelled through Belgium and then Luxemburg before entering the Allied nation.  You were rather surprised when Antonio had dropped you off and told you to get on a train to the ocean, and then find a way into England. It was easy enough, right? It didn’t stop you worrying about the Spaniard. He had said that he’d be fine, but nevertheless. You were worried.

You sighed and shuffled through the backpack of belongings you had.  Looking for the passports you had bartered for from a man less than a day ago was proving more difficult than it should have been, and everyone around you was getting irritated. When you finally found them, you handed them to the tall, French man standing guard. A few tense moments passed, and more a moment you thought he had seen through the façade you had spent so many hours putting together, but, to your relief, he let you pass. You supressed the urge to jump for joy as you passed the man.   
“Just a little longer frau,” Gilbert whispered. He’d barely spoken since you had arrived in Paris because the German accent scared some people, and often drove others to violence.  It was oddly comforting. As much as he was an arrogant idiot, he could be surprisingly sweet, when he wanted to anyway.

The train left the station with no worries and no apprehending of either you or Gilbert.  However, the nausea had been reoccurring more and more as your stress levels rose.   
“You look like you’re going to be sick Frau,” you shook your head,   
“I’m fine…” you croaked. Gilbert rose an eyebrow, but he let it go,   
“Fine, but just don’t throw up on me.” He snickered. You giggled lightly and looked out of the large glass window of a war torn country, thinking of a smart comeback to hit him with when the answer to an old question finally hit you.   
“Because I love him…” you said softly.   
“Vhat Frau…?” Gilbert asked, not entirely interested.   
“You asked me once why I helped your army if it made me feel so terrible….” His red eyes lifted to meet yours.  A reminiscent smile covered your face, “It’s because I love him…” to that, Gilbert had no response, which only made your smile grow.

***

Ludwig’s POV

“Have there been any reports?” the blonde’s voice was low and hoarse. Roderich shook his head.   
“Nothing as of yet, but by now, they’d be out of the country…” he whispered back. The blue eyed German nodded as the brunette finished wrapping both of his injured shoulders.   
“Ludwig.” The strict, demanding voice of his uncle called as he entered the medic tent.   
“Yes Sir?” the blonde replied.   
“How long until you’re ready for combat?” the harsh eyes of the General fell upon his two relatives,   
“A little while, his shoulders are still badly injured,” Roderich interjected. Their superior nodded,   
“I want him back in battle as soon as possible.  The enemy has won far too much ground for my liking.” He stated before turning and leaving.

Once the doctor had finished Ludwig moved off of the examination table,   
“Ludvig there is one other thing… before she left, ________ had me examine her because she wasn’t feeling well… there is something you should know.” The brunette picked up a folder containing _______’s blood test results.  Ludwig’s eyes narrowed slightly and his expression became unreadable,   
“Vhat is it?” he urged his cousin to finish his sentence.   
“_________ is …” the sound of bombs going off filled the air, the ground shook violently and a mixture of dirt and scrap metal flew through the air. Ludwig immediately responded to the threat, leaving Roderich alone in the tent. He sighed softly, “You dummkopf…” he murmured to himself whilst tearing the file and placing it into the nearest fire he could find.


	6. The End?

“Frau….” Gilbert called. “Frau, ve can’t vait any longer…. It’s been six months since ve left, and four since the var ended… if ve haven’t heard anything from him by now-” the albino’s usually cocky voice was uncharacteristically soft and kind, but you didn’t move.  You were intent on staying put in London until he found you both.  Just like he and Gilbert had planned.

He continued to talk for a few moments before becoming silent. You didn’t look away from the rain covered scene before you.  All the people scurrying for shelter underneath roof tops, shop owners closing their businesses for the day, and all the while, you were looking for the familiar blonde hair and body build. But like every other day, you didn’t find it. But you didn’t lose hope, no matter what anyone told you, you refused to believe he was dead.

Gilbert stepped forward and placed his hand soothingly on your shoulder. In that moment, tears pooled at the edges of your eyes and your lower lip trembled. Gilbert sighed and, almost cautiously, pulled you into a hug. Usually you would have returned the slightly awkward hig, but for whatever reason you couldn’t find the strength to remove your hands from your ever-growing stomach.  You had lost Ludwig; you couldn’t bear the thought of losing his child too.

Later that night you helped Gilbert pack the few belongings you both had and within two weeks you had moved to a surprisingly larger, but still more affordable house in the English country side. Gilbert found odd jobs around the town and your life was content… incomplete, but content.

***

4 ½ Years Later

Lazily you yawned and stretched your limbs out as far as you could.  There was a crack or two from joints that hadn’t moved in hours, but it didn’t hurt in the slightest.  In fact, you felt completely rejuvenated, even though it was nearly eleven at night.  Your (e/c) eyes grazed over the slowly dying fire that Gilbert had lit several hours ago, and had continued to prod and poke as time went on.  Your eyes then moved over to the silver haired German man fast asleep on the floor.  You sighed exhaustedly,   
“Such a child…” you muttered whilst nudging him with your foot. “Hey, lazy-ass…. you have to get up…” A soft groan came from the man, but he quickly went back to quietly snoring. You nudged him harder, and harder still, but Gilbert seemed adamant about sleeping on the floor.  You raised an eyebrow and kicked him as hard as you could manage from your seated position.

Startled, the albino shot up, still half asleep,   
“Nein Mutti, I svear I didn’t eat the…. ” His words were jumbled murmurs that, to most people, would have sounded like complete gibberish, but after years of living with him you had learnt to decipher it. You had also learnt not to ask about the… odd dreams. “Damn Frau… vhy’d you do that?” he flopped back down onto the floor and pouted like a three year old. You sighed, again. Most of the time it was Gilbert you were managing, when in reality you were supposed to be doing other, far more important things than look after ‘His Lordship’. You smiled to yourself and stood, trying to hold back the small snickers that came with the reference to your nickname for Gilbert.  You walked over the whining albino, remembering to ‘accidentally’ step on his hand as you did, and entered your small, but decent kitchen.  
“Do you want anything before bed?” you called, really hoping he would’ve just gone to bed, or back to sleep.   
“Hmmm….” You heard the German man mumbling to himself, “how about some chocolate cake?”  You looked out from around the corner to the albino man.   
“…What? It’s nearly midnight, do you really need that now?” he thought for a moment.   
“You didn’t ask if I needed something, you asked if I vanted anything. The awesome me vants chocolate cake!” he cackled loudly at his supposed victory.   
“… You’re getting the first thing I see when I open the fridge…” you retorted. There was a long groan from the man in the other room, but you ignored it.

As it turned out, the first thing you saw was a bowl full of uncooked meat and decided to fry it.  Honestly you were starving. You had cooked dinner, but had decided to get housework done before eating, and well, after it was done, all you wanted to do was sit and read, which is exactly what you had done.

Lighting the burner and heating the pan seemed to be done in a dazed like state. Your mind was far slower than usual, and your movements were sluggish. Initially you had thought that it was because you were hungry, but eventually you came to realise that it was your mind and body that had slowed down.  The only thoughts going through your head were, “How did Ludwig deal with a child for an older brother?” “What would he have done?” and most predominant of all, “Would he have been happy with this life?” All of a sudden, your mind was taken back to that day. That day when your hopes and dreams were torn away…

~Flashback – 6 months earlier ~

You sheepishly walked down the now crowded streets of the little town you called home. It was abnormally warm today, so you ventured out in thin (colour) pants and a light, (colour) long sleeved shirt. It was nice to get out of the house everyone and a while, even if you did have to entrust Gilbert with far more than you would have liked. A sudden cold shudder ran through your core, but you quickly shrugged it off as nothing more than a cool breeze.

It was later than you would have usually gone out, but after a failed attempt to make a working parachute, and test it with the freshly brought dozen eggs, you needed to go shopping. Your gaze moved from one shop to another, searching for the one you needed, and occasionally your eyes went from person to person, until your gazed upon a familiar form.  Initially you thought that it was a trick of the light, or your mind playing tricks, but no. You rubbed your eyes over and over, but the figure didn’t disappear like you had thought it would. You stumbled forward and touched the man’s shoulder. Your (e/c) eyes met with his familiar violet ones. It was Roderich.

Surprise and happiness covered his face, and it took a moment for you to react. Of course you leapt towards the brunette and pulled him into a tight hug.   
“_-_______!” he managed to choke out after a few seconds. It took a few failed attempts, but he was finally able to pry your arms from around his torso and catch his breath,   
“W-what are you doing here?” You asked hurriedly, continuously stumbling over your words. “Is Ludwi-” Suddenly a grave look covered his face, causing you to stop talking immediately.   
“Ludvig’s battalion vas captured before the end of the var…” suddenly a lump formed in your throat and a cold sweat broke out across your body,   
“By who?”   
“Vhat?”   
“Who captured his battalion?” you spoke almost erratically now, taking a tight hold of his arm, “The English, American’s?” You almost feared to say the last one, but forced yourself to speak, “The Soviets?” the brunette man avoided your gaze.    
“I’m not sure…” his voice was soft and calculating, he may have been out of the war, but you could tell that he still felt and acted like he did while acting as a physician in the army camp. 

An unfamiliar voice sounded off in the distance, calling out for Roderich. The lavender-eyed man turned and greeted a woman. Her brown hair was long and reached past the middle of her back, and a small set of orange-pink flower pins help back the right side of her fringe. “___________, this is Elizabeta.  Elizabeta, this is __________.” The green eyed woman waved happily to you, and you waved back. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you with your lost dog ____________, if I run into him, I’ll send him your way…” Roderich gave you an apologetic look, “It’s nice to see you again, but Lizzy and I have to get going…” he said before turning and leaving with Elizabeta. 

It took a few moments for what just transpired to fully sink in, but when it did, you were fuming. He didn’t know anything. He hadn’t seen Ludwig. He was clearly lying to Elizabeta about what he had done during the war. And that word… Dog. Dog! He called his own cousin a dog! How could he have so easily pushed all the memories of him away?! Why wasn’t he concerned for him!? Your fisted hands shook in anger and your jaw was clenched, and eyes swelling with angry tears. Screw the eggs. You needed to get home, and maybe use Gilbert as a punching bag for a few hours.

~End Flashback~

You rested against the counter top and suppressed a sigh.  You could suddenly feel the weight of everything that went wrong in your life on your shoulders, but somehow managed to put it behind you, quickly recover your composure and focused back on the frying food, which by then was a little more than crispy. Some may say burnt, but you would pass it off to Gilbert as ‘extra flavour’. You laughed to yourself and tipped the half black pile of meat into two bowls and grabbed the nearest cutlery.  A sudden knocking came from the door, causing you to drop the fork and spoon you had gathered. Silence followed. Obviously Gilbert had expected you to answer the door.   
“Gilbert! Do something productive and answer the door!” you called whilst once again gathering the cutlery, only this time stopping to wash them under water.

An exclamation of some description came from the albino in the other room. You groaned to yourself, thinking he had done the same thing as the other day and had left Gilbird outside and was currently being attacked by the small, yellow bird.   
“Gilbert, I’m not rescuing you.  This time Gilbird can kick your butt till his heart’s content…” you murmured, walking back into the lounge room.  Only your eyes weren’t met with the strangely familiar sight of Gilbert running for cover. No. Your eyes gazed upon two relatives rejoicing after years apart. Two brothers that were too usually too stubborn to show any ‘weak’ emotions towards each other hugging, albeit awkwardly, and muttering things to each other. In your shocked state, the two bowls slipped free from yours hands and smashed against the floor, spilling their contents all over the once clean floor.

Ludwig was back.

***

Ludwig’s POV

His mind was running a mile a minute. Was this the right house? Could they have moved in the time it took him to get there? Would she still love him? If she did, would she be able to forgive him for taking so long to find her? He lifted his fist to the wooden door, but hesitated a moment. After a minute internal struggle, he forced his knuckles to connect with the door, although it was a little more rapid and harder than he had intended. Tense seconds passed, which, to Ludwig, felt like hours. Finally a voice sounded from behind the door, but it was too muffled and he couldn’t clearly make it out. Footsteps echoed and the door slowly creaked open.  The first thing he saw was the blood red eyes of his older brother.  They both stood there, staring for a moment.   
“Heilige Scheiße ...” Gilbert swore loudly and pulled his younger brother into what he would have described as an ‘awesome hug of awesomeness’.  There wasn’t really any talk from Ludwig, but Gilbert kept murmuring something that sounded to Ludwig like: Where the hell have you been?

Once again the voice called from the back of the house, only this time it was more intelligible. It was definitely her voice.  Over three years, and the blonde man could still tell it was her. The blonde man broke away from his elder brother, expecting and awaiting for the moment that he saw her. 

Then, for the first time in years, he saw her.  ______________. She looked the same as when she left. Albeit her hair was a little longer, and she wore figure flattering pieces of clothing. It was her.   A loud crash and the sound of breaking plates brought him back to reality.  Within a second ____________ was before him, and securely had her arms wrapped around his torso.

All the worries he had on the other side of the door melted away when she hugged him.  It was the first time in over three years he actually felt alive.

***

Your POV

After you had your arms around Ludwig, there was no way you were going to let him go. It did make moving around awkward and would have been even more awkward for Gilbert, so you settled for sitting next to each other on the lounge. At one stage Gilbert tried to slip away, but Ludwig told him to stay.  Truth be told, you would have more than enjoyed the alone time.

Gilbert prodded the fire and added another log to the now growing flame. Once the albino made it back to his seat, Ludwig began speaking,   
“My battalion vas captured by the American’s…” You and Gilbert glanced worriedly at each other for a moment. Everyone knew that in comparison to the Soviets, being captured by the American or British troops was like a godsend, but still, being a Prisoner of War under any circumstances was a bad thing.  “I vas in one of their camps until the var finished, and another year after that-”   
“I didn’t think they could do that…” Gilbert piped in, grumpily.   
“They aren’t supposed to. But it apparently happens from time to time…” Ludwig cleared his throat, “After that I worked as a labourer in France for another year or so.” Neither you nor Gilbert bothered to pry further into what happened in the camps. It was like a silent agreement between the two of you to wait until he was openly ready and willing.   
“Did you go to London to look for us?” you said softly.   
“Ja…” his pale blue eyes locked with your (e/c) eyes. “But I realised you had both moved on so I looked in other places, America, France, I even met up with Antonio at one stage… if it veren’t for Roderich-”,   
“Roderich?!” both you and Gilbert said in unison. Ludwig looked between the two of you, bewilderment covering his features.   
“Yes, I met him and his vife a few months ago,” the blonde ran his hand over your shoulder and brought you close almost as if to sooth you. To your surprise, it worked. You let the muscles in your body relax and comfortably leant into him. “He was the one who told me vhere you vere.”

There was a long pause before he spoke again.   
“Did you go back to see your family?” obviously the question was directed at you.   
“No, I write to them though…” you said with a small smile. The two German men continued talking from then, but the rhythmic beating of Ludwig’s heart was like a lullaby to you, and you eventually fell asleep on his shoulder.

***

You were awoken by a gentle and continuous motion.  Your eyes slowly cracked open, but quickly closed again due to the blinding hallway lights. You shifted slightly and groaned.   
“You’re avake?” Ludwig called.   
“Hmmm,” you half acknowledged his question, nuzzling into his shoulder. You felt the odd motion of Ludwig climbing the stairs, and the sound of a door opening and closing registered, as did the warmth and soft embrace of your bed.  You had just cuddled up to the pillow and wrapped yourself in the sheets when Ludwig kissed your forehead and turned to leave. Quickly you grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him back to you.   
“Stay here… please,” your grip on his sleeve tightened as he tried to move again, “…please…” Ludwig stopped for a moment to think before sitting on the edge of the bed next to you.   
“Liebe…” in that moment, hearing him say that after all the years, every tear you had held back for the good part of three years spilled out and turned your body into a mess of tears and sobs. Burying your face into the pillow, you held your breath and attempted to make as little noise as possible.  The blonde man leant down over you while moving his hand over your back soothingly. “Liebe… please, look at me…” he gently manoeuvred you into a seated position. Your eyes lifted up to meet his and instantly you could feel your heart rip in two.

Ludwig’s eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. It was almost like you suffocating on the emotions emitting from his person.   
“If I could go back and do it again…” he placed his hands on either side of your face to make sure you couldn’t look away, “I vould have left vith you…” the blonde pulled you into a tight embrace. “I vould have left vith you…” he repeated, quieter this time.

***

Neither of you knew how long you sat there intertwined in each other’s limbs, but when you did finally break apart you couldn’t even see the moon which was shining a bright light through your bedroom window.   
“I think ve should go to bed…” the way he said it made you smile. It was almost as if it were the first time you had slept together.  Of course it wasn’t, but it had the same, fresh, exciting and slightly nervous feeling.  You nodded and moved forward to kiss him. Now, with all fairness, you would have been perfectly fine with a kiss and then bed, but Ludwig deepened the kiss and softly trailed his fingertips up your sides.  Sex would be just as fine, you decided. You bit back a laugh; actually, sex would be amazing.

Ludwig made quick work of your shirt, and began gingerly placing kisses all over your stomach while softly kneading your breasts. You gnawed your lower lip, attempting to stop any loud noises escaping your mouth, however, the odd moan and gasp found its way out.  Ludwig pulled away and moved up your body to once again capture your lips. You met him half way and pushed the muscular man backwards so you were able to straddle his hips.  

Gently your hands ran through his hair, causing a few stray hairs to fall across his face, and you pulled him into a long, passionate kiss.  Pulling your hands away from his hair, you fumbled about with the buttons of his jacket.  Once you slid the navy jacket from his shoulders, you removed the black tank-top, but the sight that graced your eyes made you pull away.

Scars covered his chest, and you presumed his back as well. You reached your hand forward and tenderly traced the shape of a large scar that went from the middle of his chest to his side with your fingertip.  Ludwig caught your hand and entwined his fingers with yours.   
“It’s okay…” he used his free hand to lift your chin and bring your face closer to his own. “Ich liebe dich,” he ran his coarse hand along your cheek and pressed his lips to yours for a moment before pulling away, “Ich liebe dich…” he whispered again before pulling you into a deep, passionate kiss.  You pushed the fact that his body was most likely scared due to the danger he put himself in to protect you, and just focused on the wanting need and warmth growing within your body. 

Every one of Ludwig’s touches sent electricity through your body, and only helped to make all of your inhibitions slip away.  Before you knew it, you were both totally naked and had only each other’s body warmth to fight against the cold nip of the night. Ludwig crept forward, towering over you and softly trailed his tongue along your neck and collar bone.  You tenderly pushed him away, and brought him once again into a seated position.

Hesitantly you reached downwards towards the blondes already erect manhood. A loud groan sounded from Ludwig as your hand gingerly grasped his implement.  Slowly you began pumping his manhood whilst running your free hand over his torso and sucking on his neck.  A smile crept over your mouth as the man below you began panting for air.  A few more pumps and you had decided that you had tortured and teased him enough, so you shifted forward, aligning his member with your entrance you slowly lowered, though for a moment it felt more like impaling, yourself onto his length.

Moans and sharp gasps came from the both of you whilst he entered you. Ludwig tightly wrapped his arms around your waist and held your chest against his. You both met each other in a kiss, allowing your tongues to fight for dominance, however you let him win, and his skilled tongue explored every crevice of your mouth. 

After a moment you rolled your hips against his, drawing loud, long moans from the both of you.  Again you started teasing him with soft, slow movement and light touches. His hands settled at your waist as his thumbs gingerly rubbed circles into your stomach area.  You could tell he wanted more, but you were set on drawing this out as long as you could.

Slowly but surely you began to pick up the pace of your thrusting.  However, it soon became too lengthy for Ludwig.  His hands moved to your hips and forced your movements faster and harder.   You bit your lower lip and once again pressed your body against his.  A thin layer of sweat covered both of your bodies and your hair was now a complete mess.  Again Ludwig quickened the pace, and you attempted to keep up with the speed he wanted, but after a few moments of struggling to catch your breath between the movement and kisses, he laid you back against the soft mattress and began thrusting wildly into you.

You really hoped that Gilbert was asleep otherwise you’d never hear the end of how you kept him awake with the noise the came from you.  The fact that Ludwig’s hands were suddenly everywhere didn’t help in the slightest.  Your skin began to tingle warmly and you couldn’t manage to make your eyes focus. A loud gasp escaped your throat when Ludwig took one of your hardened nipples into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the hardened bud.  You breathed deeply an managed to keep your monas to yourself for a moment, but they quickly became too much for you to quell and the room, and probably the entire house, was filled with the sound of your groans and moans.   
“L-Ludwig,” You gasped.  There was a noise you suspected to be a response from the man above you. Your muscles tensed and your nails dug into his shoulders. A few more thrusts from the German man caused both of your bodies to practically shake from your releases.  Your vision blurred and you began gasping for air before relaxing into the soft warmth of the bad around you and man above you. 

Loud gasping and the sound of a clocks second hand ticking filled the now quiet room.  Ludwig moved beside you and pulled you into his strong arms.   
“Thank god! Maybe now I can get some sleep!” Gilbert yelled. A deep blush covered your cheeks and you attempted to bury your face into Ludwig’s chest.   
“___________,” his voice rumbled in his chest as he spoke, which almost felt like a tickle to you.   
“Yes?” you spoke quietly.   
“Vould you like to go again?” Your eyes widened and you cautiously looked up to Ludwig’s blue eyes to see if he was serious.  He raised his eyebrows expectantly.   
“Yes please…” you both smiled to each other.

You had honestly lost count how many times you had both decided ‘one more round’.  You did know it was almost dawn before the both of you had collapsed and fell asleep.

***

Ludwig’s POV

Later that morning

The blonde had awoken to the pleasant sight of __________ quietly sleeping on his broad chest.  He knew he had only had around three or four hours sleep, but he needed to get up.  He gently removed her and slid out of bed, making sure to get dressed before leaving, for fear of being mocked by Gilbert even more than he already knew he would.  The door hinges creaked loudly and caused ____________ to shift in her sleep slightly, but after the door was completely shut, she went back to a calm sleep.

Heading downstairs Ludwig was almost blinded by the amount of light coming from the open windows.  It was definitely a different scene from last night.  The thick, floor length curtains were fully pulled back and the large windows were opened, allowing the bright, morning light to enter and illuminate everything it touched.  Gilbert lay, sprawled out along one of the larger armchairs reading a book.  The moment he saw his younger brother, a large grin covered his face.   
“You two vere certainly busy last night…” Gilbert’s signature laugh filled the room which to most would have been like nails on a chalk board, but to Ludwig it was a warm reminder of his childhood. “You should be glad the other two didn’t wake up,” the albino said coolly.   
“…The other two? Vhat are you talking about?” Ludwig questioned.  Gilberts jaw near on touched the ground.   
“She hasn’t told you?” the older brother’s surprised look turned to that of amusement. “Just vait until they wake up, you’ll see…”

***

Your POV

You were woken up by the sound of soft footsteps on the wooden floor.   
“Mutti…” a soft voice called from the door.  You rolled over and sat up, making sure to take the bed sheets with you to cover any exposed skin.   
“What is it Dominik?” Your eyes trailed over the small figure before you.  His short, messy blonde hair fell in front of his (e/c) eyes and his dark green pyjamas were ruffled from a good night’s sleep.   
“Tobi jumped on my bed and woke me up…” he trotted forward, crawled onto your messy bed and wrapped his little arms around your neck.   
“How about we go tell Tobias off, and then go downstairs.” You smiled widely, “I have a surprise for you two,” a happy smile puled at his mouth.   
“Okay,” he said with a smile, immediately jumped off of your bed and waited outside the door for you to get dressed. Even though Ludwig wasn’t around to raise him, Dominik was like him, so much so that it was almost scary at times. There were a few odd moments when he would act like Tobi, who had taken many of his traits from his beloved Uncle Gilbert, but those moments were few and far between. Quickly you dressed and walked with Dominik up the hallway to the boys shared room.

***

“What do you mean a surprise?!” Tobi yelled loudly, his bright blue eyes never leaving yours. “Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!” he continuously jumped up and down on Dominik’s bed, succeeding in completely messing up what little remained of ordered sheets. The wide grin on the (h/c) boy’s face almost made you laugh, but you couldn’t. You had to at least attempt to keep the secret from the two of them.   
“Come on, you need to get off your brothers bed, now.” You said sternly.  Tobias pouted and kicked one of Dominik’s stuffed animals.   
“Hey!” the blonde boy called, attempting to shoo his elder brother from his bed.   
“Nikki is a party-pooper!” he jumped and dived onto his own bed. Dominik sighed and straightened up the sheets as best he could before following you back out of the room.  Tobias took a little longer to catch on, and ended up sprinting out of the room and down the hallway.   You had just made it to the stairs when Tobi continued his questioning.   
“Can I know now?!” he whined.   
“Not until we get to the lounge room…” and with that, he was off. Straight down the stairs running as fast as his little legs could carry him, until he ran straight into Ludwig’s side and fell backwards onto the floor.

He sat, dazed for a moment, until he had recovered from the knock to the head.  Quickly Tobi scurried behind the couch Gilbert was laying on.   
“Who the hell are you?!” he called, glaring at his father,   
“Tobias, watch your mouth,” you warned.  Your gaze turned from your oldest son to Ludwig, his eyes were moving between you, Tobias and Dominik.  You sighed exhaustedly and knelt down,   
“Go say hello to your Vati…” you whispered to Dominik and kissed his temple. He looked to you with a confused look for a moment before stepping forward.   
“You’re my Vati?” he asked in a clear, crisp voice.  Ludwig knelt down to his level, placing his hand on Nikki’s shoulder the older man automatically looked to you for some sort of guidance. You nodded with a smile, which he then replicated as an answer to Nikki’s question.  A large smile covered the blonde boy’s face and he wrapped his little arms around Ludwig’s neck.

The German man smiled widely and protectively wrapped his arms around the boy, lifting him up with him as he rose to stand.   
“They’re brothers?” he asked.   
“Twins,” you corrected.

It was a little awkward at first, and Tobias took even longer to get used to it than you had anticipated, but eventually, you were all one happy family, a little odd, but happy.

~END

***Extended Ending***

1½ Years Later

You rested your head against Ludwig’s shoulder as you watched your two boys playing soccer in a small, empty meadow. Your arm entwined with the blonde mans, and your free hand was placed protectively over your once again growing stomach.   
“It had better be a girl this time… I can’t stand the thought of another boy in the house…” Ludwig chuckled at your statement and pulled you closer to him.   
“I’m hoping that too… othervise it vill be named after Gilbert…” you had hoped it was a joke, but the tone in Ludwig’s voice made you worry.  You looked up to your husband, who had a grave look on his face.  Your eyes widened,   
“W-what? You aren’t serious, are you?” you stammered. The German man avoided your eyes and hesitated for a moment,  
“V-ve got drunk together a little vago, and he got me to swear that if we had another boy, that ve’d name it after him, or…” your eyebrows raised suspiciously.   
“Or?”   
“Or I’d have to run down a main street in London completely naked.” Ludwig’s eyebrow twitched irritably. You smirked.   
“Well… I guess we should plan a trip to London before the baby comes…” The blonde man opened his mouth to argue but quickly closed it again, you half-laughed and nuzzled into his shoulder.

Three months later you gave birth to a healthy baby girl, who you named Felicia, Feli for short, and you were finally able to definitively answer the question you had asked yourself the night Ludwig had returned. Ludwig was more than happy with this life, as were you, and your children.

~END


End file.
